Community Reading Program to Probe Scientific Discussion

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Science Reads, a community reading program focused on Paul Greenberg’s nonfiction book Four Fish, is coming this February to Hiram College and all of Northeast Ohio.

Greenberg’s book considers salmon, cod, tuna and sea bass and the ways in which genetic, environmental and dietary changes have impacted their role in the ecosystem and food chain. Related Science Reads events cover issues such as fish farming, ethical eating, global warming and climate change.

The kickoff for Science Reads takes place on February 5 with a public presentation by Paul Greenberg at 7 p.m. on the Hiram College campus. Other speakers in the Science Reads program include John Peck, associate professor of geology and environmental science at University of Akron, and Eugene Braig, program director for Aquatic Ecosystems Extension at The Ohio State University. To engage the wider community of Northeast Ohio, Science Reads will host events at local libraries as well as on campus, including dinners, speakers and book discussions.

Hiram College is partnering with Portage County District Library, Kent Free Library and Reed Memorial Library in presenting the events.

The Science Reads program was conceived last year by Hiram College’s Lindsay-Crane Center for Writing and Literature and the Center for Deciphering Life’s Languages. According to Kirsten Parkinson, director of the Lindsay-Crane Center, the program is similar to previous community reading programs with one main difference: a focus on science.

“The Science Reads program is one way to bring the public back into discussions at a time when that is absolutely critical. (Science asks questions like:) What are we going to do with respect to climate change? How are we going to feed a world of 9 billion humans?” said Brad Goodner, director of the Center for Deciphering Life’s Languages. “These questions and many others impact all of us.”

Written by Roxanna Coldiron ’13

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